The UN deputy human rights chief and the independent expert on Myanmar have called for targeted sanctions against the leaders of what they both described as the coup that took place in the country last week, as the Human Rights Council met in special session on Friday to discuss the ongoing crisis
KRC TIMES Desk
Punitive actions against those responsible must not harm Myanmar’s vulnerable communities, and also ensure that assistance to fight the coronavirus pandemic and humanitarian support can continue, Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif and Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said.
‘World watching with horror’
In a detailed account of the unfolding situation following the military takeover on 1 February, Special Rapporteur Andrews outlined the backdrop against which the civilian government was overthrown, the people’s response, and the “junta’s repressive actions”.
He started by stressing that the very act of convening the special session underscored the gravity with which the HRC viewed “what can aptly be described as an outrageous and illegal act – a coup d’état of a duly elected government and its duly elected leaders”.
“Day after day now, the people of Myanmar, and people around the world, have watched with horror at the photos and videos of brutality emerging from the streets of Myanmar – from large columns of security forces in full riot gear surrounding peaceful protesters and water cannons being fired into growing crowds, to protesters being shot, including a young woman shot in the head as she stood, unarmed and posing no threat, with other peaceful protesters in [the capital] Nay Pyi Taw.”
There are also reports of the use of live ammunition and lethal force against demonstrators, increased arbitrary detentions and intimidation, the threat to the media, and instituting of regulations and laws that systematically strip away rights, access to information and privacy.
Some 220 government officials and members of civil society, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and members of the Union Election Commission, have been detained, many of whom were taken in “the dark of night and many times by plain-clothed police”, he added, citing reports.
Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
He asked me to respectfully pass on these exact words to this body: “We need more than a statement on a piece paper; we need real action from the United Nations.”– Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, reading a message from an activist
